Tuesday, November 15, 2016

One of the beautiful things about the Five & Two Food Truck Ministry is that it allows us to build relationships with those we serve. The Patriot House at the Presbyterian Night Shelter is one of our most highly attended events each month. Our volunteers love visiting with these men, and the fruit of the relationships are easy to see.God works in great and wonderful ways in connecting God's children with one another. This past week, one of those connections led to many "mouthfuls of miracles."One of our members is a retired dentist who works with Texas Mission of Mercy, an organization that provides free dental services to those in need. Through our ongoing ministry at the Patriot House, we were able to identify 12 men who could benefit from this mission.

We loaded up our church van with these 12 fine men and drove them to Dallas where they spent two days getting much needed work done, from full dentures to partials.

They all have beautiful smiles, and were among 99 veterans receiving care that Veteran's Day Weekend.

You see, God is Good, All the Time, and All the Time, God is Good. Thanks be to God!

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

As the mercury rises outside, the Five & Two Food Truck ministry is still having fun bringing the church into the community.Here are some photos of the first two nights of the Summer Camp for Kids that we have been hosting at Thomas Place Community Center.

We have had children and families from many neighborhoods around Fort Worth join us along with dozens of exciting volunteers from AHUMC!

We have shared God's love through Art, Science and will finish this Thursday with water fun.

Thanks to all who have helped to continue making this ministry such an important and far reaching one of AHUMC.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Last week we were priveleged to be a part of a celebration of the men and women who served our country who are currently living in shelters on East Lancaster. We partnered with other churches in the area and VFW's to provide an amazing cookout for all these proud veterans.

We visited with our old friends from the Patriot House and made many new friends. Thanks to a very generous donation from a member of the church, we were able to serve over 200 freshly grilled wild boar smoked german sausages to go with the burgers provided by the VFW.

We paused this last weekend to remember and honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I hope that we will also pray for those who served our country and now are struggling to survive on the streets in cities from coast to coast and certainly in our own backyard.

We are thankful for our relationship with the Presbyterian Night Shelter, and are grateful that we are able to be present with these men and women as they work towards finding full time employment and permanent housing. Our truck, the delicious food we serve and the dedicated volunteers who show up faithfully each time are very real reminders that no one is alone when there is God who knows us each intimately.

Jesus Christ, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for all; walks with each of us, supporting us and letting us know that He loves us. Our prayer is that we can continue to remind all those with whom we come into contact of that fact. God Bless our veterans!

Monday, April 18, 2016

On April 9, the Five & Two Food Truck was invited to be a part of a literacy fair at Fortress Youth Development Center on the east side of Fort Worth. Jesus asks us to constantly consider the question "Who is your neighbor?" We love being able to respond to that question by taking our church into the community and meeting our neighbors. The nature of the Five & Two Food Truck Ministry allows folks of all ages and abilities to share in the ministry of sharing a meal and creating community all over the city.

This weekend was special as the youth of AHUMC had an amazing retreat and were able to serve with the food truck as part of their weekend. Words can't begin to describe how awesome our youth are. They arrived and immediately took ownership of this mission. Over 120 kids and families came through the fair which celebrated literacy and the joy of reading with games and giving away 623 books!

Our youth proved that we are all family by immediately becoming a part of this community celebration by being with the kids and serving food to all. I am thankful to God for this group of young people and the adults who led them this weekend. They all have a servant's heart that we could all learn from.

Thank a youth or youth leader when you see them, remember We Are Family!

Monday, February 29, 2016

Have you ever noticed that at family get togethers or parties, the kitchen tends to be where folks bunch up? Good food and cooking can be magnets, drawing people in and together. Food has power. It doesn't have to be gourmet to be good. Simple food is often times the most powerful, particularly if it has that little something extra: love.Sure, one can eat a quickly made sandwich over the kitchen sink and get full. Folks can go to one of many cafeteria style soup kitchens up and down Lancaster and get full, often from a starch heavy meal that can easily be prepared for hundreds on the cheap.But, if you can sit down and eat a meal that has been thoughtfully and lovingly prepared, full of flavor and well rounded, and share that meal with someone who genuinely cares about how you are, how much more powerful is that? When we serve roasted chicken, mixed steamed vegetables, and (the increasingly becoming famous!) hash brown casserole along with homemade peach cobbler to homeless veterans who have been working hard, for example, we are bringing the warmth of the family table and the love of Jesus Christ. We are not just serving a meal that is delicious and several cuts above what else is available, we are responding to the call of Jesus to love our neighbor. Authentically, consistently and unconditionally. That's Kingdom building, and we are humbled to be a part of it.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

We are already off to an amazing New Year with the Five
& Two Food Truck Ministry! Before I
get into the New Year, let’s recap the end of last year.

The Five & Two Food Truck ended 2015 with an amazing
Christmas party at the Presbyterian Night Shelter. Almost 40 (!) volunteers of all ages from
AHUMC helped serve a holiday meal complete with homemade cookies. We shared the story of Christ’s birth with the
children through a bracelet craft, delivered over 100 new school uniforms and a
special gift for each child at the shelter.

The following week, we followed up at the Patriot House with
another great Christmas party. Each
veteran received a coffee mug filled with home baked goodies. One of the residents told us between the
delicious food, the gifts and the laughter in the kitchen that night was
Christmas to him, just like when he was a little boy!

The new year brought us new opportunities to serve as we
partnered with the Central Texas conference to help with the tornado relief
efforts in Ellis County. On two cold
days in January, over 20 volunteers provided hot coffee and lunch to over 300
volunteers, first responders and victims in Glen Heights. What a blessing to be able to serve in such a
capacity.

We were able to share the leftovers with 100 of our homeless
friends in Unity park for a spontaneous lunch.
One woman let us know that God especially blessed us that day because “You
guys could have chosen to be anywhere else today, but you decided to have lunch
with your friends who are poor.”

Blessed indeed! As we continue to listen
to God’s call and respond to be the hands and feet of Christ in our community
and beyond, it is an amazing reminder that God Is Good All The Time!